Vending-machine.



W. ASBURY.

VENDING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED 0019,1908.

948,838. Patented Feb.'8, 19.10.

4 SHBETS -SHB-ET l.

2 4 AM A I i m X I tag-6' BYMF/LZG A TOBNEYS W. ASBURY.

7 VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 0019, 1908.

948,838. Patented Feb.8, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' W/TNESSES INVNTOH 6 William Jfifiary z/aswwxfee ee M-+60] W. ASBURY.

VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 001'. 9, 190a.

948,838. Patented Feb. 8, 1910. 5 4SHEETSSHEET3. T U 'u mlln I N. n 44Mn/1 INVENTOH ,3; By I ATTORNEYS ANDW B. GMNAM co Fnom-umoammm wusummuu.o. c

W. ASBURY.

VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 001'. 9, 1908.

948,838. Patented F9118, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES A TTOHNEY$ ANDREW a GRAN/WI C9- momumoumvums wasnmsmu. D C.

NITED STATES PATEN rte,

WILLIAM ASBURY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 'IO SQUARE DEAL MACHINE00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VENDIN G-MACHINE.

9&8,838.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1910.

Original application filed May 9, 1908, Serial No. 431,779. Divided andthis application filed October 9,

. 1908. Serial No. 456,868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM AsBURY, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan,in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedVending-Machine, of which the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exactdescription, this application being a division of the application filedby me on May 9, 1908, Serial No. 431,7 79.

The object of my invention is to provide a vending machine withmechanism by the means of which a practical two coin machine isproduced.

Another object of the invention is to provide means by which a coin willbring a lever into operative position to be actuated by an arm securedto a shaft by the means of which the ejecting mechanism may be actuated.

Another object of the invention is to provide means by which the coinsare alternately directed in different paths.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a plurality ofchutes which unite at their upper terminals, a magnet being disposed sothat its lines of force are nearer one of the chutes than to itscompanion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanical method ofselling postal cards and postage stamps at a profit.

Still other objects of the invention will appear in the followingcomplete description.

In this specification I will describe my preferred form of the machine,but I do not limit myself thereto as I consider myself entitled to allforms and embodiments of the invention which may be held to fall withinthe scope of the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all Y the figures, in which Figure 1 is anelevation of the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of theinvention showing the principal working members of the machine; Fig. 3is a sectional plan View showing the commodity receptacle and the meansby which it is supported in a position for rotation; Fig. l is anenlarged sectional plan view taken on a line just below one of thecommodity receptacles; Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing theinner or lower terminal of the two penny coin chutes with the tripmechanism operated and the lever attached to the rock shaft throwing theslide to operate the ejecting mechanism; Fig. 6 is a similar viewshowing the penny mechanism which is in position to be actuated by apenny introduced in the slot; Fig. 7 is an enlarged view showing therollers for supporting the commodity in the commodity receptacle; Fig. 8is an enlarged view showing the roller supports for the commodityreceptacle; Fig. 9 shows a modified means by which a backward movementof the commodity receptacle is prevented; and Fig. 10 is an enlargedsectional view showing the inner or lower terminal of the five cent coinchute of the trip mechanism in position to be operated b a coin.

By referring to the crawings it will be seen that the machine isprovided with a casing 1, which I prefer to make with the corner posts2, of metal, to which are secured glass plates on the four sides,permitting the mechanism of the machine to be seen by purchasers. Thedrawings show a machine in which four commodity receptacles aresupported with a respective oper ating mechanism and coin chutes. Inthis specification I will describe only one of the commodity receptacleswith its operating mechanism and coin chute, it being understood thatthe other commodity receptacles and their mechanisms are constructed inthe same manner. Each of the coin chutes extends horizontally over ashort distance, then vertically and then obliquely until it is nearly tothe operating mechanism. Each of the coin chutes 3 has a companion a,the companion chute 4 being provided to direct slugs and other foreignmatters away from the operating mechanism. As is seen in Fig. 2 the coinchute 3 with its companion 4 unite near their upper terminals and overthe companion chute 4 is disposed a magnet 5. By this arrangement, whena slug is introduced in the coin chute entrance 6, it will be attractedby the magnet and also because i of its weight it will be directed tothe companion chute 4 so that there will be no danger of it reaching theoperating mechanism and the slug will fall directly into the moneydrawer 7. hen the machine is to be used as a one coin machine, the coinwill fall clirect to the offset or trip 8 of the trip lever 9, and whenthe device is used as a two coin machine, it will first come in contactwith the coin director 10, which is pivoted in the coin chute 3 at aplace where the coin chute is doubled in width to provide two coinpassages 11 and 12, with a partition 13 therebetween. The coin directorhas a long arm 14, which is adapted to come in contact with thediverging walls of the coin chute 3, and the coin director 10 also hastappets 15 which are adapted to come in contact with the partition 13,when the coin director 10 swings on its pivot. By this construction it.will be seen that when the coin director is in its proper position asshown in Fig. 2, the first coin introduced in the coin chute will fallinto the passage 12, throwing the coin director 10 to the position shownby the dotted lines, so that when the next coin is introduced in thecoin chute it will fall on the offset or trip 8 of the trip lever 9,throwing the trip lever 9 in position to be operated by the arm 16 whichis secured to the rock shaft 17. \Vhen the machine is used as a one coinmachine this coin director 10 is omitted, and in cases where themerchandise is to be sold for one cent, the inner and lower terminal ofthe coin chute is constructed as shown in Fig. 6, in which the coinpassage 11, which is a continuation of the coin chute 3, leads direct tothe trip 8 of the trip lever 9, while the passage 12 is a directcontinuation of the companion coin chute 4, which is provided to directslugs &c, direct to the coin drawer 7, without their coming in contactwith the trip 8 of the trip lever 9. When the machine is to be used as afive cent piece machine, the lower terminal of the coin chute isconstructed as the said coin chute 3, through the said opening which Ihave designated 18, into the companion chute 1 so that only five centpieces will fall on the offset or trip 8 to operate the trip lever 9. Itwill be seen that in the one cent machine the trip 8 has a larger bodythan the offset or trip 8 in the five cent machine, but it will beunderstood that the size of the trip may be regulated to be actuated bycoins of different size and widths to obtain the best results.

To the frame 19 of the machine, to which the lower terminals of the coinchutes are secured, are fastened slide guides 20 which are adapted tosupport the slide 21 and permit it to move at right angles to the lowerterminals of the coin chutes. To this slide 21 is pivoted the trip lever9 having the 01fset or trip 8, which is adapted to have more or less ofits body disposed under the coin chute 3 when the mechanism is inoperative position. The other arm 22 of the trip lever 9 is constructedso that it is adapted to engage a slot 23 at the lower end of one of theslide guides 20. The trip lever 9 not only has an offset or trip 8 or 8which is disposed so-that it will be adapted to engage a coin introducedinto the slot, but it also has an offset 24, which is adapted to be sodisposed that when the trip 8 is operated by a coin, it will be in thepath of the arm 16 which is secured to the rock shaft 17. This rockshaft is journaled in a plate 25 which is secured to the frame of themachine, and to this plate 25 is also fastened a spring holder 26 towhich a wire spring 27 is secured, this wire spring 27 being adapted tobear slightly on the offset 24, to make certain that the offset or trip8 will be properly disposed to be actuated by the coin introduced in thecoin chute. There is also pivoted to the slide 21, an arm 28, which isadapted to move in an opening 29 in one of the slide guides 20, the saidarm 28 having an offset 30 which is adapted to engage with the arm 16secured to the rock shaft 17, and the arm 28 also has a shoulder 31which is adapted to engage with the opening 29 in the slide guide 20.Secured to the slide 21 is a spring 32, which is adapted to hold theslide so that the trip will be disposed under the coin chute, the wirespring 27 being adapted to engage the offset 24, so that the offset ortrip 8 will 'be held at the proper angle relatively to the coin chute. Aspring 33 is also provided, this spring being adapted to hold the arm 16away from the offset 24:. As it will be hereinafter described the end 34of the slide 21 is secured to the meehanism by which the commodityreceptacle is rotated to eject the postal cards or other commodity.

Referring now to one of the commodity receptacles, the others beingconstructed in the same manner, it will be seen that the frame 19 is inefiect the bed plate of the machine which .supports the commodityreceptacles, the trip mechanism being disposed therebelow. Each of thecommodity receptacles is composed of a plate 35, which has a cruciformopening 36 therein. To the outer corners 37 of this cruciform opening 36in the plate are secured angle irons 38 which are disposed vertically,the said angle irons being connected in pairs at their outer terminals,by frame members 39. The plate 35 of the commodity receptacle issupported by rollers 40 which are disposed above and beneath it so thatit will be held firmly in place. These rollers are journaled in rollersupporters 41 which are secured to the frame of the body plate 19 of themachine. In the drawings I show four sets of these rollers for each' ofthe commodity receptacles, but it is understood that any number of pairsof the rollers may be used and that they may be disposed at the top aswell as at the bot tom of the commodity receptacle. There is an oblongopening 42 in the body plate 19 of the machine, and the commodity recep=tacle is so disposed thereover that when it reaches a predeterminedposition in its rotation it will present an opening in aline ment withthe opening 42 and of approximately the same size, so that any commoditycontained in the commodity receptacle, which is in alinement with theopening, will pass through the opening 36 in the plate 35 of thecommodity receptacle and also in the opening 42 in the frame 19, andwill then fall on the commodity chute 43, down which it will slide in anopening in the machine until it is stopped by the check 44, from whichit may be taken by the purchaser. The commodity which is not inalinement with the said openings in the plate 35 of the commodityreceptacle and in the frame 19 respectively, is supported by commoditysupporting rollers 45, which are disposed at right-angles to the ends ofthe opening 42 in the frame plate 19 and are supported on the said frameplate. I propose to so mount the rollers 45 in pairs that they willoffer the least resistance to the commodity which they support, when thecommodity receptacle is being rotated. The rollers 45 are mounted in aframe 46 which is secured to the frame plate 19. Underneath the plate 35of the commodity receptacle are fastened studs 47, the studs being fourin number and being disposed at equal distances apart and also an equaldistance from the center of the said plate. To the frame of the machineis secured a spring 48 with which the studs 47 are adapted to engagewhen the commodity receptacle is rotated, this spring 48 being adaptedto prevent any return movement of the commodity receptacle. In Fig. 9 at48 is shown a ratchet, which I may use in place of the spring 48 toengage with the studs 47 and prevent the return movement of thecommodity receptacle. On the frame 19 of the machine is journaled ashort shaft 49 having an arm 50 secured thereto, the arm 50 beingdisposed below the frame plate 19 and being adapted to engage the slide21 at its end 34, and as shown in the drawings this engagement issecured by having the arm 50 extend through an opening 51 in the slide21. The other arm 52 which is secured to the short shaft 49 above theframe plate 19 has,

drawer 7.

near its outer terminal a slot 53, which is disposed at a slight angleto the main body of the arm 52 with an offset 54 at one side of the saidslot 53 and a curved surface 55 on the other side, the arm 52 also beingprovided with a tapering surface 56 and a lateral opening 57 with ashoulder 58. The slot 53 of the arm is adapted to engage the studs 47,and when the mechanism which operates the arm is actuated, the arm 52 inconnection with the studs 47 is adapted to rotate the commodityreceptacle, giving it a one-quarter revolution at every movement of theoperative mechanism. As shown in the drawings a plurality of commodityrcceptacles, with their respective operating mechanism and coin chutes,may be disposed in the frame 1 of the machine, and I propose to mountthe machine on a pedestal (30 so that it may rotate, permitting thepurchaser to bring before him the commodity rcceptacle containing thegoods which he desires to purchase, with its respective OPOIHP ingmechanism and coin chute. The money drawer 7 is bifurcated, permittingit to slide on either side of the pedestal (30, which is supported on abase plate (51.

The vending machine is operated as fol lows: A coin is introduced intothe coin slot 6 and it falls down the coin chute 3, but if a slug isintroduced in the coin slot (3 it will fall down the companion chute 4away from the operating mechanism, into the coin Should, however, a coinbe introduced which is not attracted by the magnet 5 in the coin chute4, it will fall down the coin chute 3 along its obliquely disposedportion, but it may still reach the companion chute 4 through theopening 18 in the companion chute 4 if the coin is not of proper size tocause it to fall in the vertically disposed inner terminal of the coinchute 3. If the coin continues in the coin chute 3 it may reach theoffset or trip 8 or 8 direct, or if the machine is a two coin machine itwill reach the coin director 10; the first coin falling in the coinpassage 12 and operating the coin director 10 so that it will assume theposition shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings and asecond coin will then fall on the offset or trip 8 or 8. \Vhen the coinfalls on the offset or trip 8 its weight causes the trip to bear down sothat the offset 24 is in position to be engaged by the arm 16 secured tothe rock shaft 17 and when the rock shaft 17 is operated by itsrespective handle 59 it will engage the offset 24 and will push the triplever 9, together with the slide 21, to the left, the arm 22 of the triplever 9 being so disposed as to engage the slot 23, and the arm 28 whichis pivoted to the slide 21 will be drawn through the opening 29 in theslide guide 20 until the shoulder 31 engages the lower portion of thesaid opening 29. During this movement of the slide 21 the arm 50 hasbeen operated by means of the slide 21, and has caused a rockingmovement of the shaft 19, by means of which the arm 52 has been moved tothe right, and as one of the studs 47 has been disposed in the slot 53of the said arm 52, the plate 35 of the commodity receptacle to whichthe studs 47 are secured has been caused to rotate the stud 47 whichengages the arm 52 during its rotation, moving along the slot and up onthe tapered portion 56 until it slips off into the lateral opening 57 atone-quarter of a revolution of the commodity receptacle. The shaft 49 isso disposed that 111 the one-quarter revolution of the commodityreceptacle, the radius between the shaft and the stud 17 which isengaging the slot 53 is decreased so that it will travel in the saidslot 53 up the tapered. surface 56 and into the lateral opening 57 ashas been described. hen the commodity receptacle has made a one-quarterrevolution the arm 52 is parallel with the sides of the opening 42 ofthe frame plate 19, and no longer extends across the said opening, andas there is an oblong opening in the bottom of the commodity receptaclewhich is in alinement with the opening 42 in the frame plate 19, anycommodity in alinement with the said two openings may fall through theplate 35 of the commodity I receptacle and also through the frame plate19 of the machine into the commodity chute 43 and down to the commoditystop 44. It is my purpose to pack the postal cards or other commoditypackages alternately at right-angles to each other in the commodityreceptacles, so that at every one-quarter revolution a single postalcard or commodity package will be brought in alinement with the opening42 in the frame plate 1.9 and away from the commodity supporting rollers45 so that it will be free to fall through the' plate 35 of thecommodity receptacle and the frame plate 19, as has been described, butof course, it will be understood that a plurality of packages may beplaced in the machine next to each other in alinement so that anydesired number of postal cards or commodity packages may be ejected fromthe machine by one operation of the mechanism. At each one-quarterrevolution of the commodity receptacle the ratchet i3 engages a new stud47 so that any return movement of the com.- modity receptacle isprevented. hen the arm 16 is freed by the operator removing his handfrom the handle 59, it is drawn back by the spring 33 striking theoffset 30, thereby lifting the arm 28 and freeing its shoulder 21 fromthe guide 20, the slide 21 being drawn back by the spring 32, and. thetrip lever 9 being again disposed in its normal position by the wirespring 27.

It is my purpose to use my machine among other ways to vend postagestamps and postal cards, the stamps or postal cards being machine 1sbeing operated, a slide, a lever inclosed in envelops on whichadvertising matter is printed, or the advertising may be inclosed in theenvelops with the postage stamps or postal cards.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. In a vending machine, a coin chute, a slide, guides in which theslide is adapted to travel, a. lever having two offsets, one arm of thelever being disposed under the coin chute, an arm adapted. to project inthe path of the offsets so that in the operation of the lever, theoffsets are adapted to strike the lever on opposite sides, and means tooperate the arm.

2. I11 a vending machine, a coin chute, a slide, guides in which theslide is adapted to travel, a lever having two offsets, one arm of thelever being disposed under the coin chute, an arm adapted to project inthe path of the offsets, so that in the operation of the lever, theofisets are adapted to strike the lever 011 opposite sides, means tooperate the arm, and means to hold the lever yieldingly in apredetermined position.

3. In a vending machine, a slide, alever pivoted thereto, the leverbeing adapted to be thrown into operative position by the contact of thecoin therewith, a member having a slot, one arm of the lever beingadapted for moving in the slot when the lever is in a pre-determinedposition, and a member adapted for engaging the lever when it isactuated by a coin.

+t. In a vending machine, a slide, a lever pivoted thereto, one arm ofthe lever being adapted to be thrown into an operative position by acoin, a member having a slot, the other arm of the lever being adaptedfor moving in the slot when the lever is thrown into an operativeposition, a member adapted for engaging an offset on the lever, andmeans to hold the first named arm of the lever yieldingly upward.

In a vending machine, a coin chute, a slide, guides in which the slideis adapted to travel, a lever having an offset, pivoted to the slide,one arm of the lever being normally disposed under the coin chute, anarm adapted to project in the path of and at one side of the offset, anda spring which engages the offset at the other side to hold the leveryieldingly in a predetermined position.

6. In a vending machine, a coin chute, the sides of which are paralleland the ends of which diverge downward, a pivoted coin director havingan upward extending arm disposed in diverged portions of the coin chute,the coin director also having tappets, a central partition in the coinchute, the tappets being disposed to be alternately in close proximityto the partition when the pivoted thereto, the lever having one of itsarms disposed under the coin chute at one side of the partition, andmeans in connection with the lever by which the slide may be operated.

7. In a vending machine, a coin chute, the sides of which are paralleland the ends of which diverge downward, a pivoted coin director havingan arm disposed in the diverged portion of the coin chute, the coindirector also having tappets, a central partition in the coin chute, thetappets being adapted to be disposed alternately in close proximity tothe partition when the machine is being operated, a slide, guides forthe slide, a lever pivoted to the slide, the lever having an armdisposed under the coin chute, and means free from the lever and theslide adapted to engage the former to operate the latter.

8. In a vending machine, means which are adapted to be thrown intooperative position by the contact of a coin therewith, and which areadapted to operate the delivery mechanism, means which are adapted tooperate the first named means to operate the delivery mechanism, andindependent means to hold the first named means after they have beenoperated until the means to operate them are released.

9. In a vending machine, a lever which is adapted to be thrown inoperative position by the contact of a coin therewith and which isadapted to operate the delivery mechanism, a rock shaft, an arm securedthereto, the said arm being adapted to act on the lever to actuate thedelivery mechanism, and an arm which is adapted to move with the lever,the said arm being adapted in connection with the frame of the machineto hold the said mechanism in position for the delivery of the commodityand being adapted to be released by the return of the rock shaft to itsnormal position.

10. In a vending machine, a lever which is adapted to be thrown inoperative position by the contact of a coin therewith and which isadapted to operate the delivery mechanism, a rock shaft, an arm securedthereto, the said arm being adapted to act on the lever to actuate thedelivery mechanism, an arm which is adapted to move with the lever, thesaid arm having a shoulder which is adapted to co-act with the frame ofthe machine and hold the said mechanism in position for the delivery ofthe commodity, and an offset on the last named arm which is adapted tobe engaged by the arm on the rock shaft.

11. In a vending machine, a coin chute, a slide, a lever pivoted to theslide, the lever having an arm under the coin chute, means adapted forengaging the arm of the lever under the coin chute to actuate the slide,independent means adapted for holding the slide in an operativeposition, and means for holding the slide and the first named meansnormally in an inoperative position.

12. In a vending machine, a slide, a lever pivoted thereto, the leverbeing adapted to be thrown into operative position by the contact of acoin therewith, a spring adapted to assist in holding the lever 111 aninop- "erative position, means in connection with the lever by which theslide may be operated, means normally to hold the said means in aninoperative position, and independent means adapted for holding theslide in an inoperative position.

13. In a vending machine, a coin chute, a slide, guides for the slide, alever pivoted to the slide, the lever having an arm disposed under thecoin chute, means for engaging the lever to operate the slide, and meanspivoted to the slide which are adapted to engage one of the guides tohold the slide in an inoperative position.

14. In a vending machine, a coin chute, a slide, guides for the slide, alever pivoted to the slide, the lever having an arm disposed under thecoin chute, means adapted for engaging the lever to operate the slide,an arm pivoted to the slide, the arm having a shoulder which is adaptedto engage a guide to hold the slide in an operative position, the saidarm being adapted to be engaged by the said means to free its shoulderfrom engagement with the guide.

15. In a vending machine, a coin chute, a slide, guides in which theslide is adapted to travel, a lever having an offset pivoted to theslide, one arm of the lever being normally disposed under the coinchute, an arm adapted to project in the-path of the offset, a springwhich engages the offset to hold the lever yieldingly in a predeterminedposition, and means for holding the arm yieldingly away from the offset.

16. In a vending machine, a coin chute, guides, a slide disposed in theguides, a lever ])l"OtCl to the'slide, the lever having an arm disposedunder the coin chute, an arm pivoted to the slide, the arm beingdisposed in a recess in one of the guides, there being a shoulder on thearm which is adapted to hold the arm extended so that the slide isdisposed in an operative position, means to yieldingly hold the slide inan in operative position, means adapted for engaging the lever formoving the slide into an operative position, the said means beingadapted to move the arm so that its shoulder is freed from engagementwith the recess in the said guide.

17. In a vending machine, a coin chute, a slide, guides in which theslide is adapted to travel, a lever pivoted to the slide, means to holdthe lever yieldingly in a predetermined position with a predeterminedlimit of movement, an arm disposed under the lever and free therefromand from the slide, the arm being adapted to move across the path'of thelever to engage and move itto operate the slide, and independent meansadapted to hold the slide yieldingly in a predetermined position.

18. In a vending machine, a slide adapted to operate the deliverymechanism, an arm having a shoulder mounted 011 the slide, a-

frame With Which the shoulder is adapted to engage, and means to liftthe arm to free its shoulder from the frame.

19. In a vending machine, a coin chute, a slide, guides in Which theslide is adapted to travel, a lever pivoted to the slide, means to holdthe lever yieldingly in a predetermined position, and an arm disposedunder the lever and free therefrom and from the slide,

the arm being adapted to move across the path of the lever to engage andmove it and operate the lever.

20. In a vending machine, a slide, guides therefor, a lever pivoted tothe slide, the lever being adapted to be drawn into an operativeposition by the contact of a coin therewith, and a member having aslide, one arm of the lever being adapted for moving in the slide Whenthe lever is in a predetermined position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

lVILLIAM ASBURY. lVitnesses J. 7. HANAFORD, JOHN P. DAVIS.

